Nubia: Past and Present

A photographic exhibition by Andrew Crowe

This exhibition is the result of an anthropological research project led by Sally-Ann Ashton, Senior Assistant Keeper in the Department of Antiquities at the Fitzwilliam Museum . It aims to investigate the presentation and perception of Nubian identity, and includes photographic and film work of Andrew Crowe. The
fieldwork took place in January and February 2010 in southern Egypt and
northern Sudan and was funded by the British Academy.

Nubia: Past and Present explores the people of Nubia and their environment, and presents the landscape and archaeology of this region, through traditional photography and film. A personal record of the fieldwork by Andrew will be shown through the medium of "live photography", using a Canon HV30 camcorder with a Depth of Field adapter and camera lens.
The idea for this was born out of necessity when Andrew had problems with his camera.
The result was to capture not only an image, but also the environment and atmosphere at the time when the photograph was taken.

Nubia is a relatively modern term that is defined geographically as the land between Dongola in northern Sudan and Aswan in southern Egypt.
Today, this region is home to people who are linked through a distinct language that connects them linguistically to Ancient Nubia, but who are
culturally diverse from each other and from the past. Many aspects of traditional Nubian culture have been affected by the building of dams in this region.

In ancient times this region and the modern countries of Egypt and Sudan were known as the kingdoms of Kemet and Kush. There were strong cultural connections between the two lands, however, with the passing of time the two nations developed autonomously and independently of each other, but were connected through trade and, at certain times, rulers.

Nubian identity has been more widely adopted by the African diaspora, most notably in the US. In Britain an increasing number of members of the Black British community have begun to seek to understand their African heritage and see a connection to Ancient Nubian culture as a means of self-empowerment.

The research was funded by The British Academy Small Research Grant scheme
Photographs and film footage by Andrew Crowe
With special thanks to The Sudan National Museum, Khartoum and The Nubia Museum, Aswan